Apologize
by Sunchaser55
Summary: Roxas lives an ordinary life: He goes to school, has a part-time job, and has a crush on his roommate. But that changes after he stumbles upon a slight problem... a person actually, who happens to look a lot like himself. AkuRoku Other details inside
1. The Oathkeeper

** Yay! Here is a new story. I hope you all like the first chapter:) **

**_Details:_**

_Major characters: Roxas, Axel, Namine, Sora, Riku, Ven, _

_Minor characters: Seifer, Xemnas, Hayner, Kairi, Yuffie (Final Fantasy), Leon, Aerith, Reno, Tifa, Denzel, and Gailardia Gardios (from Tales of the Abyss). _

_Pairing: Axel X Roxas (mild)_

_mentioning of Namine X Roxas, and Hayner X Roxas_

_Sora X Riku (mild)_

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Roxas played with the zipper that dangled from his coat, eyeing Axel with deep blue orbs. Axel was too busy to notice Roxas's boredom though. He typed vigorously on the computer, his leather gloved fingers skidding across the keyboard. Axel's green gaze never slid away from the computer monitor.

Roxas took in a deep breath, combing a hand through his spiky blonde hair. Axel had been typing non-stop for two hours. The whole time he hadn't even said a word. It disappointed Roxas. But it was for a good cause.

Axel had a high paying job which involved computers. It kept the two roommates going. Roxas did all he could for them too, of course. He applied for a job and received the position. His employment was with 'Subway.' Roxas called it his 'crappy job.' Compared to Axel, it was a lousy job. But hey, a jobs a job and money is money.

The two only lived in an apartment anyways. They'd been friends since Roxas was in grade six. After University they decided to move in together… well after Axel finished university. Roxas was still in high school.

Roxas sighed, preparing himself to finally say something. Hopefully it wouldn't ruin Axel's concentration. But before a single sound could escape from the blonde's lips, Axel quickly said, "If you're lonely Roxy, call your brother. He probably wants to hear from you soon. You know how he gets about you."

Roxas nodded. Deep down he was hurt though. Could Axel not tell that it was he who he wished to speak with…?

Roxas stood up, walking into another room where the phone was stored. He began to dial. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to phone Sora…" Roxas muttered quietly to himself.

Sora, his older brother, looked a lot like him. Sora too, had blue eyes. Their hair was different though. Sora's hair was also spiked, but it was a different style. It stuck up in all directions while Roxas's seemed a little neater. It concentrated more on one side. While Roxas had blonde hair, Sora has a dark brown colour. But quite recently he put blonde highlights into his dark hair. It looked more like a dirty blonde now.

Pretty much their physical traits were the only things similar. Their personalities were completely different. Sora is more outgoing and competitive while Roxas is quiet, shy and compassionate. But like many people say, some people get along best with their opposite. It was exactly that for these two. They both looked out for one another.

Roxas brought the phone up to his ear, listening to the ringing on the other end of the line. Suddenly a voice replied, "Hello?" The voice was that of a female… not Sora's voice. Roxas shook his head a little, soon stuttering, "Hi… is Sora home?"

"Yes, he is," she paused. "This wouldn't be Sora's little brother by any chance… would it?"

Roxas cocked an eyebrow, slowly answering, "Yes…"

"Really?! Great! Its great to finally meet you! Sora's told me so much about you!"

"How come…?"

The girl paused again, "Oh, I'm sorry! I totally forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kairi. I'm Sora's girlfriend's cousin."

Roxas frowned.

Where had he heard that name before? But more importantly, Sora had a girlfriend!!?? "So… who's Sora's girlfriend?" Roxas asked, trying to sound casual. Kairi responded, "What do you mean? You don't know? But… they've been dating for three months." Roxas's eyes narrowed, "Is that so… Well, who is she?"

"My cousin, Namine," Kairi said cheerfully.

Roxas froze! So that's where he'd heard Kairi's name. From Namine.

Roxas swallowed thickly, biting his lip. He felt extremely betrayed at the moment. Namine was his ex-girlfriend. How could his own brother do that to him!? No wonder Sora hadn't said anything…

"That's great," Roxas said. He tried to sound cheerful, but it came out glum. He then added, "Oh… sorry. I need to go. I'll just phone back some other time."

"Oh… all right," Kairi could tell that she had said something that she shouldn't have. Roxas hung up and then slowly walked back into the room where Axel sat, still typing.

Axel sighed after hearing the sound of Roxas sitting down… well actually, it was more as if he'd tossed himself onto the couch. Axel's fingers finally withdrew from the keyboard. He quickly turned the monitor off and then stood up. "Talking with Sora get you down, Roxy?" Axel asked as he knelt down to look into Roxas's face. The blonde's eyes darted away, "No."

Axel grinned, "Well you sure sound gloomy. How about we cheer you up? How does some sea-salt ice cream sound?" This caught Roxas's attention. He smiled weakly, "That'd be great."

Axel and Roxas sat on lush grass, licking at their sea-salt ice cream. They had found a nice grassy area in a nearby park. It wasn't only the park that was gorgeous though. The day to, was lovely. There was a gentle breeze and the sun was shining. There was no humidity or dampness that predicted rain. It was the perfect day.

Though the day seemed amazing, Roxas only felt gloomy. He felt betrayed. He'd always felt that he and Sora were on good terms. Axel sighed as he finished off his ice cream, "Roxas… do you wanna talk about it?"

Roxas's head perked up. Whenever Axel called him by his full name that meant that he was being completely serious. During Axel's serious moments, Roxas felt as if he could pour his whole soul out to him. He liked that about Axel. Axel could be a total goof-ball and make people laugh, while at other times, he could be very understanding and compassionate.

Roxas smiled softly to himself. Earlier, he was beginning to believe that he and Axel were drifting apart. But he should have known that, that wasn't true.

"Axel… don't worry about me. I just have mixed emotions. I'm just too sensitive," Roxas said dully. Axel placed a hand on the other's shoulder firmly, but gently.

"Then tell me. What kind of emotions?" Axel asked. Roxas's eyes narrowed. He wanted to tell Axel, but he always seemed to have this unconfident side to him that always plotted out the worst-case scenario.

He combed a hand through his blonde, spiky hair, biting his lip afterwards. He then cried out desperately, "Axel, I feel betrayed… and unwanted, and lonely!"

Axel frowned, "Okay. Lets get to the bottom of this. It always helps to know why your feeling the way you are. So we'll break this down." The red-head paused, "Why do you feel betrayed, Roxas?"

"Because… because Sora's keeping secrets from me."

Axel nodded, "That makes sense."

Roxas took a deep breath before speaking again, His bright blue eyes glanced at Axel sadly, quietly saying, "And I feel that I'm unwanted… because… well, you've been so busy lately… and you know I have no friends at school. That's also the reason why I'm lonely. Even Namine won't talk to me anymore. She always said that there was no hard feelings between us… But I guess now that she's with Sora…" He stopped mid-sentence, letting out a sigh.

Axel rubbed at the back of his head, giving Roxas a sympathetic look, "I'm sorry, Roxas… I'm one of the reasons why your feeling the way you are."

Roxas shook his head quickly, "No! I'm just stressed! That wasn't one of my biggest bothers. I guess when they all get jumbled up, I kinda lose it."

Axel smiled weakly. He knew his friend by now. He just didn't want to hurt anybody's feelings. "You know… if you feel that lonely, you only need to say so. I could take a few days off and I could take you somewhere over the Christmas holidays when your out of school. It'd be fun," Axel said. Roxas blushed a little. He muttered, "You'd do that for me?"

"Of course!" Axel was quick to reply.

Roxas smiled to himself. Axel always gave him a sort of warm feeling.

Axel then added, "But until the holidays, you'll need to bear with me. If I'm gonna take time off, I need to work twice as hard." Roxas nodded happily, slurping up the last of his ice cream. He then cheerfully cooed, "Thank you, Axel!"

Axel nodded, pushing himself up off the ground. He offered Roxas a hand, saying, "Come on. Lets get back home. Its getting late and you have school tomorrow." Roxas took Axel's hand firmly and lifted himself up. "Alright, lets go."

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Axel and Roxas entered their apartment building. Axel grinned, "Well, looks like we have a message!" Roxas turned to look at their phone. A red light flickered on the receiver. He shrugged, "Probably just some people trying to sell us stuff."

The blonde walked into the kitchen and turned the stove on.

After a few minutes, Axel walked into the small kitchen too. "I'll handle dinner. You've got a message from Sora, Roxy," Axel said. Roxas left the kitchen and grabbed the phone. He dialled in his older brother's number, awaiting the other to pick up. "Hello?" Sora's voice said from the other line.

"Hey," Roxas responded.

"Oh, hi Roxas…" Sora paused for a moment. He then said shamefully, "Kairi told you about me and Namine, huh?"

"…yeah"

"Sorry, Roxas. I should've told you."

"just don't worry about it, " Roxas mumbled. But Sora went on, "No Roxas. It isn't fine. I should've told you."

"I guess."

Sora breathed in deeply, "But you don't need to worry anymore. Namine and I broke up today…" Roxas gasped, "What? Really?… Are you alright?"

"Hey, don't you worry about me! I didn't want to speak with you so you'd feel sorry for me. I wanted to apologize, " Sora snapped.

Now Roxas was the one who was becoming impatient, "No! You already apologized! And besides, I'm not throwing you a pity party… I'm concerned for you. We ARE brothers, remember."

Sora chuckled, "Okay Roxas. You're the best."

Both of them remained silent for several moments. But suddenly Roxas broke the silence, "Sora? Is it alright if I pop by? You probably need some company."

"But its getting dark out."

"Yeah, don't worry. The subway stations only a few blocks from my house. Then the ride is only ten minutes to your area. From that stop, your homes only five minutes away. Its no biggie."

"Fine… but only if your positive," Sora said.

The two then hung up. Roxas stuffed his wallet into his pocket and then pulled his trench coat on. "Hey, Axel! I'm going to see Sora! I'll be back in a few hours, alright?" he called out. Axel's head peered out from the kitchen, "Okay, but you be careful."

"I will."

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Rain began to pour down from the skies as Roxas quickly walked through a dark and musty alleyway. Instead of walking all the way around to reach the subway station, he decided to cut through the alley. It was much faster.

The boy's shoes splashed through puddles as his long, black coat was being drowned in the downpour. Roxas frowned as he looked up at the sky. "Damn rain," he muttered as he brought his coat's hood up over his head.

The sky was pitch black. He couldn't tell if it was because of dark, stormy clouds or if it was just because it was the night time. Well, either way… so much for the gorgeous day.

The rain continued to crash down, never becoming slowing. It was coming down in buckets. Roxas's leather coat was already drenched. He grunted quickening his pace. That is, until suddenly, Roxas heard a hoarse breathing sound.

He froze.

"Who's there?!" Roxas blurted out. The strange breaths stopped and were instead replaced by a scratchy voice. "Ven?" the voice sneered.

Roxas's heart skipped a beat… Ven? Who was Ven?!

"I think you've got the wrong person," Roxas responded cooly. He may have sounded casual, but he was anything but calm. His heart felt as if it was hammering through his chest.

Roxas couldn't help but hear a spine-tingling chuckle over the crashing of the rain. He then suddenly yelled out, "LIAR! You traitor! You think you can just come back here? Well, guess again, Ven!"

Roxas shook his head madly, "No, you've got the wrong guy!"

Roxas was beginning to understand now. This man was probably mistaking him for an ex-gang member. But before Roxas could say anything more, the man charged at him. Roxas rapidly jumped out of the way, crashing himself face-first onto the wet, cobblestone. Roxas quickly pushed himself up, his eyes narrowing.

He could've sworn that he'd heard the sound of an object being swung through the air while the man had ran at him. Answering Roxas's question, a blade could be seen gleaming in the moonlight.

The blonde swallowed thickly. He hated to fight when it could be avoided, and this situation was just a big misunderstanding.

"Look, can we not fight!? I'm not this Ven guy!" Roxas continued desperately. The mysterious man laughed, "Oh, and I'm Santa!" Roxas sighed. The sarcasm told him that this guy wasn't believing a word that he said.

"HEY! LOOK BOYS! LOOK WHO'S COME BACK!" the man suddenly cried out. To Roxas's dismay, eight more gangsters revealed themselves. "Why, if it isn't Ven…" one of them whispered. Another one came up from behind Roxas, tugging his hood down. "VEN!" he growled, pushing Roxas roughly. Roxas reclaimed his balance and began to shout, "I'm not Ven! You guys even took my hood down! isn't that proof enough!?"

All of the men laughed. "Who are you trying to fool, boy?"

Roxas rolled his eyes, becoming extremely annoyed. "Jeez, is Ven my doppelganger or something? Either that… or these guys are really, really drunk," Roxas mumbled to himself. But now wasn't the time to be talking about such things… Roxas needed to engage these guys in combat.

"Your gonna regret ditching us, man," one of them threatened. Roxas didn't respond, he only tensed up. This was getting pretty troublesome.

Roxas ran at one of the men, swivelling his heel so that he elbowed him in the chest. The twist of his heel gave the blow more power. After that one move, hell seemed to break loose. Everyone in the area broke out, entering the battle. Two guys ran at Roxas from both sides. He gracefully jumped up and performed a back flip, causing the two men to only run into each other. As Roxas landed, one of the gangsters roughly grabbed him from behind, holding his arms so that it was as if the blond was handcuffed. Roxas grunted, kicking his foot back. The man screeched as Roxas's foot bashed into his shin. "Damn you, boy," he cursed, crumbling onto the ground as his lower leg gave away.

He'd already hit four of them, but some of them were beginning to recover. That wasn't good… He needed to get out of there quickly.

Roxas shook his head. He could feel the rain water soaking through is hair.

"Look, there's no reason for us to fight," Roxas said. "How about I just leave quietly and no one needs to get hurt."

"Oh yeah right, I bet you'd really like that!"

Roxas sighed, which soon turned into a gasp. One of the men had sneaked up behind him and pinned him, similar to what the other guy had did. Except when Roxas kicked this guy, he didn't crumble. He was solid.

Roxas thrashed, but then suddenly another gangster approached and began to pound the blonde. He pulled his fist back, then dug it into Roxas's stomach. Roxas chocked as his knees seemed to buckled. He sagged down, only being held up by the one who held him captive.

The next thing Roxas knew, he was on the ground. He could feel hard blows crashing into his sides, but nothing seemed to make sense at that moment. He closed his eyes.

That's when suddenly a soothing voice began to speak within his head, dragging him away from all the pain and confusion.

'**Which do you cherish more? Strength and bravery, or honest and compassion?' **the voice asked. Roxas cocked an eyebrow. What the hell…

What was this all about? Roxas may not have understood the meaning of this question at the time, but he didn't hesitate to make a quick decision. He'd never felt like the 'hero' type, so he uttered, "Honesty and compassion."

The mighty voice echoed throughout his mind, stating, '**If that is what you wish.'**

Just then, after a blinding flash of intense light, Roxas felt the dampness of the rain and the aching of his body once again. He was back in the battle, still laying on the ground while being beaten. But the gangsters seemed to withdraw.

Roxas opened a blue eye. The men had taken a few steps back. Roxas blinked curiously, that is until he noticed that he grasped onto a mystic looking weapon. His hand gripped the handle of it tightly. Roxas stood up, amazed by this gorgeous, but most likely dangerous, object. The long object was shaped like a key. It was an angelic, light colour from the handle and to the rim of the hook. The key hook itself was made up of several colourful, dull spikes. And further up the handle, on the opposite side of the hook, the metal came out to the side and back again to form a heart shape. This heart shape was gold. On the end of the handle, hung a keychain. It was a flower shaped keychain.

Roxas looked the weapon up and down. He didn't know what it was and where it had come from, but he did know that this heavenly weapon seemed to radiate comforting warmth. It made him feel cozy and hopeful. This warmth seemed to travel right up his arm and into his whole body.

Roxas looked up at the cloudy sky and smiled. He wondered if that voice had given this 'key' to him. "Thank you," Roxas whispered. As if in response, the voice began to speak again, though rather faded, '**The weapon that you see before you is called a Keyblade. This Keyblade is special. It represents light and all that is good. It is Oathkeeper.' **The voice then vanished completely.

Roxas nodded, repeating, "Oathkeeper, huh?"

One of the gang members growled, "Come on, lets get him! Ven's never been that tough! We can get him, even if he does have that _thing_!" Roxas bit his lip. He didn't know what this 'Oathkeeper' could do… He didn't want to hurt anybody. But then he remembered what that voice had said. It had said that the Oathkeeper represents light and all that is good…

"Then maybe it doesn't have the power to kill people…" Roxas told himself. He only hoped he was right. But that could've meant anything: from the Oathkeeper to the wielder himself.

Roxas swallowed thickly as one of the men ran at him.

He swung the Oathkeeper forward, slamming it against the man's chest. He screamed, immediately crumbling to the floor afterwards. Roxas gasped, taking several steps away from the fallen body. "D-did I kill him!?"

The rest of the men began to shake in fear, rapidly turning around and running out of the narrow, dark alleyway. Roxas took a deep breath. But in the middle of this breath, he began to choke. A sharp pain came from his right side. The blonde turned around, his blue eyes wide with fear and surprise.

One of the gang members stood behind him, digging a dagger into Roxas's flesh. The man grinned at him. But before Roxas fell to the ground, he brought his Keyblade fourth and whipped the man upside the head. He immediately lost consciousness.

Roxas soon fell to the ground as well, the Oathkeeper escaping his clutch and skidding across the wet, slippery cobblestone.

He lay on the ground, soon using one of his hands to squeeze at the wound. He needed to stop the blood from flowing out of his body. But it was no use. Rich blood oozed from the torn skin, mixing with the rain water and tainting its pureness.

Roxas groaned. It felt as if life itself was being sucked away from him. The warmth seemed to be fading, pouring out of him. This made the pouring rain seem deadly cold. The dampness soaked right through him, chilling even the bone. The young boy's lips began to go blue as he shivered crazily. He felt the darkness of death swallowing him. It would all be over soon…

Roxas began to fade. His eyes slowly shut as his world became black.

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** Hope you liked it! Please review, and then I can put up the second chappie ASAP. **


	2. Amnesia

** Hey! **

** I know I didn't receive many reviews, but I worked so hard on this story and I wanna give it another chance to hopefully be liked. But thank you Plain Jane Is A Vampire for reviewing: )**

** I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own KH**

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"Roxas? Roxas…?"

The groggy blonde woke up to the sound of his name being called. He groaned as his eyes fluttered open. The room seemed very bright, but Roxas soon adjusted.

"Roxas?"

He swung his head around, looking for the source of the voice. It seemed so familiar, but Roxas's head felt too fuzzy for him to remember. He didn't remember until he locked eyes with the other. A bright smiled lit up on Roxas's face.

"Sora!" he said happily. Sora smiled weakly in return. The older boy sat in a chair that was placed near the rim of the bed. "How are you feeling?" Sora asked worriedly. "I'm fine-" he tried to get up off of the bed, but a sudden sharp pain ran through his side. Roxas's eyes widened as he noticed that the room they were in wasn't familiar. The blonde glanced around the small room. It contained a few pieces of equipment. There were I.V.s, heart monitors, a desk with pill bottles placed on its surface, needles…

"Where am I?" Roxas asked, rubbing at his head, as if to try and remember something. Sora frowned, "You mean you don't remember?…" He paused, biting at his lip, "Roxas, you're in the hospital."

"Hospital…?"

Laying his head back down, Roxas sighed. He closed his eyes. He couldn't help but feel as if he was forgetting something important… Was it important?

Roxas's blue orbs fluttered open. His eyebrows furrowed, giving off a sad look.

"What happened to me?" Roxas's voice was below a whisper. Sora shook his head sadly, "Nobody knows… Somebody just found you unconscious and bleeding in an alleyway not too far from your house. Thank goodness they found you and brought you here."

Roxas smiled lightly. At least there was still some good in the world.

Suddenly Roxas felt his hand twitch. It felt as if he'd been gripping something…

Roxas looked down at his bed sheets…

He was imagining how Sora must have felt. First he and Namine had broken up, and then in the same day, Roxas had to go to the hospital. Roxas couldn't help but feel as if everything was his fault…

Roxas suddenly blurted out, "Hey, where's Axel? Has he come by?" The blonde had only realized the red-head's absence. "Yeah, he's been around. He told me that he'd come back and check on you tonight," Sora said. Roxas nodded.

He just wanted to get out of the hospital and return to his normal life. It bugged him not being able to recall what had happened though… It was a very strange feeling. I made him feel… fragmented.

"You alright?" Sora asked worriedly. Roxas sighed, "Yeah… its just… I feel groggy… not being able to remember and all. I feel… lost somehow."

Sora nodded, grimly saying, "Yeah, I know… The doc says you have amnesia."

Roxas rubbed at his temple. What the hell had happened? That same, patronizing question wouldn't stop zooming through his mind. But there was always pros and cons to these sorts of things. Maybe it was better that he didn't remember. This idea still didn't satisfy Roxas though.

"Amnesia, huh?" Roxas said bleakly. He tried to shake the negative thoughts out of his head. Moping about a small fragment of memory that could probably be lived without was pointless. What the blonde needed was some rest. Then afterwards he could leave the hospital, return to his normal life and leave the cold feelings that he felt behind him.

Roxas did exactly this. He laid down on one of his sides, quietly mumbling, "I'm gonna sleep." Sora smiled, standing up, "Alright. I'll leave you be. I hope you feel better."

"Thanks." Roxas hoped that he'd feel better soon too. He couldn't help but feel, even while laying down, dizzy and nauseous. Whatever had happened, it had really shaken him up.

Before Sora left the small hospital room, he quickly added, "Oh, and I'll tell Axel that you were awake sometime in the afternoon. Just in case he comes while your still asleep."

"Okay," was all he could reply with. He was dreadfully tired.

Roxas yawned softly, cuddling with his bed sheets. At that moment he felt very cozy. It felt like he was laying on a lush patch of grass, feeling the warm rays of a sunny day wash onto him. This cheerful image soon left Roxas though as the force of sleep seemed to swallow him.

He was now in a deep sleep…

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Axel peeked into the plain, small hospital room. Roxas peacefully lay on his hospital bed. He didn't make a sound. The blonde only seemed to be breathing softly. As he entered the room and shut the door behind him, Axel whispered, "Roxas?"

There was no reply.

"Roxas?" Axel said again, this time a little louder. The boy still did not speak. But before Axel could poke and prod at the boy, he caught a glimpse of his face. A pleasant, peaceful expression was plastered onto the blonde.

Roxas was sleeping.

Axel smiled softly, looking down at the younger boy. As if he could sense the presence of another, Roxas began to stir in his sleep. The red-head hesitantly placed a hand onto Roxas's head, combing his fingers through the blonde's golden locks. "…you get better, Roxas," Axel whispered. He then turned around, heading towards the door that led to the narrow hallway.

As Axel's gloved hands tightened around the doorknob, he heard a soft voice… Roxas's voice.

"Axel? Hey…" Roxas smiled. Axel swung around in surprise. "R-Roxas! How are you? Are you feeling okay?"

The blonde shook his head up and down, grinning, "I'm alright! I'm alright!"

"That's good…" Axel sounded relieved as he held his hand to his chest. Roxas sat himself up in his bed, continuing to smile at his friend fondly. Axel sighed, pausing before he continued. "Sora told me… You don't remember… right?"

Roxas's bright smile grew weak. He quietly answered, "Yeah…"

Axel's emerald green gaze met the squeaky-clean floor. He didn't want to look into the melancholy sapphire eyes that were his friend's. What bugged him more was that he had no idea how much memory Roxas had lost. Sora hadn't gotten into details when he spoke with him. That is, if Sora _even_ knew.

But Axel hoped that Roxas was only going through a traumatic phase. That would mean that Roxas just didn't remember the event that caused the trauma.

Axel brought his gaze back up. "Well, the important thing is that you're alright," he said positively. Roxas nodded shyly, smiling to himself. "Thanks," he said. Axel grinned, trying to bring the other's hopes up.

"So, when are you getting outta here?"

"The nurse said I should be able to leave the hospital tomorrow. But she told me not to go back to school until Monday, next week. She said I should rest at home," he replied.

"Okay, that's good."

Axel was delighted. Roxas's condition was not as bad as he thought. He seemed to be doing fairly well. When Axel got that phone call from the hospital saying that his poor, little Roxy had been hurt and was currently taking residence within the hospital, he nearly had a heart attack. He was so afraid that something life-threatening had happened. What happened may have been serious, but from what the elder man could see, Roxas seemed fine. Roxas would probably be himself again in a week, maybe even sooner.

"So, want me to come and pick you up tomorrow, or does Sora already have something arranged?" Axel asked. Roxas shook his head from side to side, "No. Sora is going to school tomorrow, remember? Its only Monday today."

"Oh, alright. I didn't know whether Sora was gonna take the day off to come and see you or not."

Suddenly a soothing voice interrupted the two. It was that of a female. Axel and Roxas jerked their heads around, looking at the person who occupied the doorway. She was a petit teen with long, golden blonde hair. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of blue. She had on a white coloured dress.

Roxas thought she was an angel the first time that he laid eyes on her. She was the most beautiful girl that he'd ever seen.

"Roxas… I heard that you were in the hospital," the young female said in a frightened, shaky tone. She held her hand to her chest. "Namine…" Roxas tried to gasp, but his voice came out flat.

Axel only furrowed his eyebrows. He was wondering why Namine would even show up here. Sure, she was a gentle girl and all… but still. Her prescence irked him.

Namine hesitantly approached Roxas and Axel. As she stopped to stand sternly beside Axel, she gave him a desperate look. She could tell that he didn't want her there. But Roxas never dismissed her.

"Namine… Hey," Roxas managed to say. "Hi…" she said in a mix between happy and awkward. There was a long, disturbing pause after that. But then Namine finally said quietly, "Axel… could you maybe give us some privacy?"

The irritated red-head hesitated, but then grumbled, "Fine…" The tall boy stood up and left the room without saying another word.

When they were both positive that Axel was gone, Roxas spoke up, "Was that necessary, Namine?" She nodded timidly, "Sorry… its just: I don't think Axel likes me very much. He made me feel uncomfortable."

"Alright."

The blonde then added, "How have you been?"

"I've been alright. You?"

"I've been okay, too," Roxas said.

Namine suddenly sighed. She had so much that she wanted to say, but now that she was actually there, speaking with her ex-boyfriend, she began to have second thoughts. Everything she'd rehearsed wasn't "perfect" anymore.

"Namine?" Roxas said after noticing the deep breaths that she was taking. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. But Roxas, I am very sorry. It must have hurt when you found out about me and Sora. Especially considering I lost contact with you because of it," Namine bit her lip. Roxas smiled at her, "I'm not bothered about that anymore. Lets just forget about it. We're friends, right? Friends forgive each other."

Namine stared at him blankly, and then a smile crept onto her face. "Right!"

Roxas's smile became more soft and warm as he continued to gaze at her. But it didn't last. Roxas jumped as Namine swung a plastic bag up from the ground and onto his hospital bed. The sudden movement surprised him. Roxas quickly recovered though, chuckling a little.

"I've got baked goods for you," Namine said happily as she began to dig through the plastic bag. Roxas nodded gratefully, "Did you bake them yourself?" He was really hoping that she'd say yes.

Namine nodded, "Uh huh!"

Roxas put on a bright smile. He remembered back from when Namine and him were still dating. She'd always bake him things. She baked him a cake on his birthday, strawberry-rue-barb pie when Spring break began, and she'd even bake him cookies or homemade sea-salt ice cream on random dates.

Namine even baked for the school bake sales during the fairs and things. Those were always fun. Roxas remembered how he always went to visit Namine at her bake sale stand, making excuses to passing teachers as to why he wasn't at his own event.

Namine handed Roxas a tasty looking cupcake that was topped with creamy, vanilla icing. "Thank you," Roxas said, gently taking the sweet pastry. He took a bite, allowing the still-warm cupcake to roll across his tongue. He savoured its taste and feeling.

Just then, Namine took a step back from the bed, leaving the plastic bag to lay on the wrinkled blanket sheets next to Roxas's slightly raised knee.

The boy cocked an eyebrow, "Where are you going?"

"I have school tomorrow, so I should get going. Also, Kairi is waiting for me out in the parking lot. She gave me a ride, so I don't wanna keep her waiting."

Roxas chuckled. Namine _still_ didn't drive? Roxas remembered that she always refused to try and drive. He always thought that she didn't want to because she was so… out of it. Sure, she was a pretty 'down to Earth' girl, but because she specialized in the arts, her head seemed to linger within the clouds most of the time.

But at one point, Namine had actually told him that she didn't wish to drive because she was the president of the environmental club at the school.

Namine then added, "You can have the rest of the baked goods. I made them for you. Get better soon, and see ya!" Before she turned around to face the door, Namine quickly knelt down alongside the rim of the hospital bed and planted a soft kiss upon Roxas's cheek. Roxas immediately began to turn red, his hand swinging up to stroke the area where Namine had kissed him.

Before leaving the room, Namine paused in the doorway, flashing the blonde a sweet smile.

Then she was gone.

Roxas swore that after five seconds of Namine's absence, he could feel the wrath of an overly-jealous Axel approaching. It wasn't exactly difficult to notice the red-head's rage as he stormed into the room.

"Axel? What's got you so steamed?" Roxas asked curiously, looking at Axel who paced back and fourth. This bizarre act soon ended though.

Making sure not to hit Roxas's legs, Axel flopped himself down onto the end of the bed. He then sat himself up, sitting perfectly straight.

"Axel?" Roxas repeated.

Axel's green orbs seemed to soften. He was beginning to cool down now. But how exactly could he tell Roxas that he did not like Namine?! That's who made him mad. She irked him! She made him angry and jealous and did I mention angry!?

Axel knew that Namine wasn't a horrible person, but he still disliked her with a passion that burned more fiercely then one thousand suns. It made him angry how Namine broke up with Roxas and then started dating Sora and then thought that she could waltz in here and flirt with the blonde!

It wasn't Namine who would comfort Roxas. It wasn't Namine who made the boy smile. It wasn't Namine who mended Roxas's delicate heart back together whenever he was upset… Axel did all those things.

What he _did _know was that Namine had pryed Roxas's heart away from his chest. Namine had squeezed that stolen heart until it bled. Namine had devoured that heart, tearing it into several pieces and then tossing those aching shards onto the ground as if they were nothing.

But to be honest, Axel only liked to believe that Roxas was the only victim. He didn't know the whole break-up story. Roxas and Namine refused to speak of it. They merely said, "It doesn't matter. We're both putting it behind us so that we can still be friends."

"Nothing's wrong. I just felt like making a dramatic entrance," Axel lied. Roxas pouted though. He didn't know whether to believe him or not. Roxas, being the polite person who he was, nodded in acceptance.

"You should get back home. You look very tired," the hospitalized boy pointed out. Axel brought one of his hands up to scratch the back of his head. "Do I? Well, don't worry, Roxy. I'm not going anywhere," Axel chuckled. But Roxas stood his ground, remaining firm. "Please, just go home. You're probably exhausted. You had work, and I bet that was busy. And you took the subway down here too, didn't you? So your day has been filled with lots of… busyness," he said the first word that popped into his head. Axel grinned at hearing Roxas's weird speech.

The blonde continued though, "And I didn't want it to be because of me that you feel drained…"

Just then the thought of Axel's transportation popped into Roxas's head again… For some odd reason the subway gave him a weird feeling. But why?

Suddenly remembering, Roxas erupted into a frantic fit. "Oh shit! Subway!! I totally forgot! What about my part time job!? They'll be so mad that I never showed up! Uh!!" he cried as he waved his arms around, having the urge to rip his hair out.

Axel placed a hand onto Roxas's knee, stopping the younger boy's actions. "Don't worry. I already phoned in for you and told your boss that you won't be coming for a few days because of hospitalization," Axel said. Roxas stared at the red-head blankly for several seconds, soon slumping back down onto his bed. "Thanks Axel," Roxas muttered.

"Don't sweat it," Axel grinned. Roxas smiled in return, but his face suddenly twisted into a yawn. He covered his mouth, giggling after the yawn ended. "Man… All of a sudden I'm tired."

Axel pouted, playing upset. "Are you just trying to get rid of me, Roxy?" he said, hands on his hips. Roxas cuddled with his bed sheets, getting ready to go to sleep. "Go home, Axel. We both need rest…" Roxas said softly. Axel nodded, approaching the door. As the red-head hesitantly left the room, Roxas could be heard quietly whispering, "Rest will give us full strength for when we spend time together during the holidays…"

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**I know its rather slow right now. But don't worry it picks up. Please review. **


	3. Recovery

**Hey! I know it's been a while since I updated this story. It just wasn't going well, with the lack of reviews and all. But now I've just decided to put it up anyways. So yeah, hope you all like it. :) It's going to be slow for a bit, but once Ventus is introduced, everything gets better. So, yeah. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. **

**Warning: Yaoi warning**

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It was the next morning. It was quite a chilly morning. A cold, but not strong, breeze swept through the eerie city. What made the day seem gloomier was the sky. Grey clouds occupied the skies. To Axel's dismay, these clouds looked like snow clouds. And Axel did not like snow. He didn't like the winter period.

It was nine in the morning. Axel was preparing himself to pick up Roxas from the hospital. He was looking forward to it.

Throwing on a scarf that matched his eyes, Axel stepped through the apartment door. He exited the building, immediately feeling the temperature difference. The frosty feeling that hung in the air seemed to be whipping his face, causing his abused cheeks to go red. "Jesus… its cold," Axel mumbled, glaring up at the sky.

Pulling himself together, Axel began to walk down the empty streets. He headed towards the subway station. It was a good few blocks away, so Axel quickened his pace. The sooner he could get out of the cold, the better. He swore that if he got frost bite on his fingers, he'd be screwed. He needed his hands for his work. But Axel shoved such thoughts to the back of his mind.

Roxas was the only one who mattered at the moment. If his boss complained to him about falling behind or something… well, lets just say that he couldn't care less right now.

While Axel walked down the street, he couldn't help but peer through the windows of shops. He wanted to buy Roxas something. But he wasn't sure what. Roxas was one of the complicated people to shop for. He'd be happy with anything, but that was the problem! It couldn't just be anything. It needed to be special. But those kinds of gifts were hard to think of.

A shop that appealed to Axel was a plushie shop. Considering Roxas would be staying in the house all week, Axel thought that it might be nice if he bought him something that he could cuddle with. Besides that, Axel couldn't think of anything else. He had already bought Roxas a few tubs of ice cream, considering he loved ice cream. The blonde would at least be happy about that.

Axel, taking a break from the chilled air, entered the plushie shop. A young teen with short, black hair and hazel eyes greeted him. Axel recognized her from when he went to school. She was the energetic Yuffie. Axel had not known that she worked at this shop.

"Welcome! You looking for anything specific?" she asked in a loud, hyper voice.

Axel chuckled, "Yuffie, right?"

"Yep! Sorry… I can't recall your name. Though you do look familiar."

"Its Axel."

Yuffie grinned, "Cool. Nice to be re-introduced to you, Axel. And welcome to my families business!"

Axel nodded, "Thanks." He then added curiously, "Do you know a blonde kid named Roxas? He's about your age."

"I KNOW ROXAS!" she erupted into a fit of excitement. "We're in the same chemistry class!"

"Really? That's great. Well, I'm looking for a plushie for him. Do you have one that you think he'll like?" Axel asked.

Yuffie pouted, thinking hard. "What about a teddy bear? We have some very soft ones!" she said. Yuffie left her spot from behind the cashier desk and wandered into a storage room.

It took her a good five minutes to come back. During this time, Axel tapped his foot impatiently, peering at his watch every few seconds.

Yuffie went back behind the desk, placing a teddy bear that she had retrieved in front of Axel. The red-head nearly leaped at the bear! It was perfect. It was a black bear with silver patches. Its eyes were blue and around its neck was scarlet red ribbon. When Axel picked it up, he couldn't believe how soft it felt. It must have been the softest teddy bear that he'd ever felt. "I'll take it! How much is it?" Axel asked, quickly taking out his wallet.

Yuffie's eyes looked up at the ceiling, "Hmmm… its normally ten bucks, but you can have it for five if you want."

Axel took out a five dollar bill. "Thanks so much," Axel smiled.

Yuffie also smiled, "No, thank you! See ya! I hope that Roxas likes it."

"I'm positive he will."

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Axel jumped off the subway train, finally reaching the station. From here, he was close enough to walk to the hospital. Axel cursed as he left the warmth of the station. It was now snowing. He quivered, looking at the roof of the hospital that was only a block away.

"Roxas'll probably want some caffeine or something," Axel muttered, glancing around for a Tim Hortons coffee shop.

He strolled into the small shop, stepping up to the cashier desk. The cashier, who was half asleep, snapped her eyes open, quickly putting on her brightest smile. "Hello! Welcome to Tim Hortons! How may I help you?"

Axel glanced around the empty place. It was still early.

He then replied, "I'll have two coffees, please. One medium and the other small. For the medium: two sugars and one milk. And then for the small, lets have one milk and A LOT of sugar. I mean, like, four to six or something packs or whatever you use!"

The employee cocked an eyebrow and then held back a giggle, punching in Axel's order. She then wandered off. But after two minutes, she came back, holding two steaming cups of coffee.

Axel took the cups from her and then placed a few bucks on the counter. "Thanks," he said, quickly swinging around and exiting the cozy shop.

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The red head peeked into Roxas's hospital room, saying in an excited tone, "Roxas!" The blonde slowly sat himself up; he didn't say anything though. Axel frowned slightly. "Hey… Roxy? You okay?"

Roxas nodded tiredly. But Axel wasn't going to take that.

But before he could say anything, a nurse entered the room, beginning to collect a few things from the desk that was placed in the corner of the room. The red-head pouted, placing a hand onto his hip, "Hey, Nurse-lady… whys Roxas so…_out of it?_"

"Oh… Roxas?" she glanced up at him, giving off a sympathetic look. "He just had some medication. He'll be fine."

Axel's soft expression became tense. He looked sharply at her, whispering harshly, "What!? What the hell for?! He was fine!"

"Yes…" the nurse said in a quiet, fearful voice. "But he still needs the pain killers…"

Axel nearly exploded on her, but stopped himself. He was a force to be reckoned with while he was angry. The red-head lowered his hands, which had been risen above his head in an enraged gesture.

"I'll just take him home then," Axel said bitterly. He placed the two cups of coffee on the nearby desk. "Would you throw those out for me?" he said in a low tone. Axel then lifted Roxas up into his arms, cuddling the blonde to his chest. Roxas slowly opened a blue eye.

"Axel…" he mumbled, digging his head further into the other's chest.

Axel smiled, "I'm gonna take you home now, okay? Just rest for now. " He then quietly added, "I'll buy you another coffee later."

Axel got a better grip on Roxas, allowing the bag that the teddy was in to slip down and hang off his wrist.

Before the nurse could say anything, Axel rushed through the door. Not that the nurse could argue, considering Roxas was allowed to be released now. But she did sigh. She grabbed a coat and then began to chase after Axel. "Sir!?" she called out.

Axel groaned, turning around, "What?"

This time he didn't sound mad, but quiet. He nearly sounded hollow: As if all that emotion had simply burnt out.

The nurse approached him, passing him a white coat, "Here. Roxas will probably need to bundle up."

Axel gently took the jacket from her, putting it on the groggy blond. "Thanks."

He then turned around and headed towards the main hall, where he could exit the hospital. If that nurse was expecting some kind of apology, well, Axel didn't feel like it. Sure, he got a little mad: But he's a hot-head. That happened frequently. And besides, he didn't feel the need to say sorry.

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Axel stepped onto the subway. He still held Roxas in his arms. The red-head could just feel the stares of others piercing him. It wasn't everyday that you saw a man carrying a kid who was half-asleep in his arms. Well, not if Axel was his father. But Axel looked way too young. You'd have to be pretty unrealistic or naïve to believe such a thing.

Still, Axel couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.

He shuddered at every murmur and whisper. But he continued to stumble down the narrow walkway. After Axel found an empty seat, he carefully laid Roxas down on it in a sitting position. The blonde stirred a little. Axel looked down at Roxas fondly. He looked very peaceful while he slept.

Just then, taking his attention away from Roxas's cute form, Axel's cell began to go off:

_'When you walk away_

_You don__'__t hear me say please_

_Oh baby, don__'__t go_

_Simple and clean is the way that you__'__re making me feel toni-'_

Axel answered, saying, "Hello?"

On the other end was a very recognizable voice. At least Axel recognized it right away.

"Hello, Axel." It was Leon. A twenty-eight year old man with long, somewhat spiky brown hair and charming blue eyes. His voice was calm but firm.

Axel bit at his lip, "Leon… look, I know that I never really left much notice, but-"

Leon cut him off, saying in an irritated tone, "No excuses. I NEED you to email that report. I thought you were going to do that this morning."

"I know, but I had some other things that I needed to do."

But Leon snorted at this, "Things from your personal life? What's more important? What you're doing now, which is god knows what… Or mom and dad's business? Do you know how hard they worked to develop this company, brother?"

That's right… Leon and Axel are brothers. There parents are dead, and Leon decided to take over their computer company. Leon had gotten Axel his job.

"Leon, can you just be patient? It won't be much longer. But for your information, what I am doing now IS important. Really important," he said coldly while looking down at Roxas.

"What would that be? It can't be more important then mom and dad's wishes," Leon said. Axel gritted his teeth. He hated how Leon only seemed to care about that bloody company. How could he live like that? It was like living the life of a robot.

Axel was happy for his sister though. Aerith had left this city a while back. She now lived someplace far, far away. Leon didn't know where she was, but Axel did. He swore to her that he'd never tell. Aerith didn't want Leon to get her into their parent's business. Even she thought that he took his duties too seriously.

But Aerith now lived in a city called Hollow Bastion. She was happily married there. Axel hoped that he'd have such an opportunity himself. But unlike Aerith, he wouldn't leave. He liked it in Twilight Town. Besides, he had a special person whom he'd never leave. Roxas and him had a relationship that only came around once in a lifetime. He couldn't leave that behind. No way.

"Does it matter what I believe is more important? Don't you worry. I'm gonna send that damned report to you before this evening!" Axel hissed. He then hung up on his brother.

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Axel and Roxas entered their apartment. The redhead hurriedly placed the open-eyed Roxas onto the couch. He was glad to see that Roxas was more 'aware'.

"Roxas, did you want me to get you a coffee?" Axel asked him, his bright green eyes flashing in the blonde's face.

Roxas nodded, "Sure. That'd be great." He paused for a moment, sending Axel an appreciative smile. "Hey, Axel… thanks."

Axel looked at the boy, a little surprised at first. Roxas had sure been showing a lot of affection towards him lately. "Don't mention it," Axel grinned after his moment of astonishment. He then wandered away, leaving the apartment.

Roxas rubbed at his eyes after realizing that he had the apartment all to himself. He groaned as he stood up from the couch. Though he could stand, he was still pretty shaky. He felt rather dizzy; a side effect that was caused by the painkillers. "Stupid medication," he muttered as he stumbled into the kitchen. Roxas opened the door to the freezer, smiling brightly at the sight of a tub of ice-cream. The blonde happily fetched it out, scooping some of it out of the tub and into a bowl. He then placed the cold tub back into the freezer.

Roxas would've danced his way back to the couch if it wasn't for his grogginess. He didn't expect to come back home to a freezer full of ice-cream. He knew it was Axel's doing.

Before Roxas could feel the chilly treat in his mouth, the doorbell went off. He sighed, placing the sweet ice cream on a nearby cabinet. He opened the door, "Hello?"

"Hello, Roxas. Is Axel home?"

It was Leon.

Roxas gasped. He knew that he and Axel didn't get along most of the time. That made Roxas feel a little uncomfortable around Leon. He didn't know the guy very well, but from how Axel described him, he didn't sound very pleasant.

"Oh, sorry… Axel went out," Roxas's eyes darted away from Leon's serious gaze.

"Oh, really?" Leon sounded annoyed, as if Axel should've been doing something else.

But Roxas went on, "Yeah…"

"Do you know when he'll be back?"

"…No."

Leon sighed, becoming annoyed by Roxas's vague responses. He then asked impatiently, "Do you mind if I stay here and wait for him to return?"

"Ummm, you really shouldn't… I have no idea how long he'll be, so I don't want you waiting too long. How about you come by tomorrow or something?" Roxas suggested.

"Its okay. I've got time. I can wait."

Roxas felt like rolling his eyes while saying, 'Jeez… and I thought _I _was stubborn."

Of course he didn't do this though. Apparently, according to Axel, Leon was a respected man.

"Just phone him tomorrow or something… he's had a busy day," Roxas said desperately.

Leon's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Fine…" he said in a low tone. The brunette turned away from the door, beginning to walk down the apartment hallway.

Roxas took a deep breath, quietly shutting the door behind Leon and then slumping back down onto the couch. He reached for the bowl of ice-cream and then cried out.

He was disappointed to see that his ice-cream had partly melted. He sighed, putting it back onto the cabinet. At least he'd be getting coffee soon. As if Axel had read his mind, the redhead excitedly entered the apartment. "Hey, Roxas! You're looking brighter!"

The blonde grinned in return.

Axel slipped his coat off and approached Roxas, sitting down on the couch beside him. "Here," he said, passing Roxas the smaller cup of coffee of the two that he had.

"Thanks," Roxas said as he eagerly took the coffee. He put the cup to his mouth, enjoying the caffeine. He needed to have his daily dose of caffeine everyday. His system didn't like how he'd gone days without it. But tough luck. He was in the hospital.

Axel's emerald eyes suddenly widened. He quickly stood up, placing his coffee on the nearby cabinet beside Roxas's ice-cream. "I've got something for you," Axel chirped.

Roxas looked up at him curiously, "For me?"

Axel sat back down, placing a plastic bag onto the blonde's lap. Roxas swallowed the bit of coffee that was in his mouth and then put the cup down. He pulled out the object that rested within the bag, bringing it to his eye level. "Oh my gosh…" Roxas's eyes began to sparkle as he looked the black and silver teddy bear up and down. "Axel… thanks." He cuddled the plushie to his chest. "You know, you didn't have to…"

"I know. But I wanted to, Roxy."

"Thanks."

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It was the next morning. It wasn't a very pleasant morning either. Roxas awoke to shouting. He tiredly opened a blue eye, but remained in a sleeping position.

Axel was pacing around the living room, clutching onto his cell phone tightly. He was speaking with someone. The voice on the other line was being quite loud. Axel, too, was yelling. Roxas recognized the anonymous voice as Leon's.

"You're still living with that blonde brat?" he could hear Leon say. Roxas immediately closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep… They were talking about him.

"He's not a brat! And so what if I'm living with him!" Axel spat.

But Leon wasn't impressed. "So what? So what?! That kid is dragging you down! He's getting in the way of your work and he's also mooching off you! That slut's job is _so _pathetic that I can't even remember what it is. He's being paid minimum wage, Axel! Don't tell me that he's not pulling you down," Leon stopped as he took a deep breath. But he soon continued, "I bet he's the reason why you never sent me that report yesterday."

Roxas gripped tighter at his bed sheets. He could feel an aching stinging at the back of his eyes.

"You bastard!" Axel hissed. "I don't wanna hear you talk about Roxas like that! Not ever! I swear… if you do…" he trailed off. He couldn't exactly threaten his older brother. Therefore he gave up on the threats and began to talk about what a wonderful person Roxas was. "Roxas… he's the best thing that's ever happened to me," Axel began, " If you truly knew him, then you'd see how amazing he is, too. You'd be jealous if you even knew a damn about friendship, Leon. I don't care what you say about Roxas. I know what you say isn't true…"

Roxas smiled weakly to himself, allowing the tears that had been building up in his eyes to fall and roll down his rosy cheeks. But these tears weren't tears of sadness… not as they fell. They may have been building up to be such tears, but now after what Axel said, Roxas couldn't help but feel happy.

Axel was his true friend.

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**lol, I made Squall (Leon) such a nasty jerk. XD Oh well, there always needs to be one of those kinds of characters... I love him, I truly do. **

**Anyways, please review! It'll make me update quicker! :)  
**


	4. Daily dose of life

**Now you get to find out about Roxas's lovely school life. Oh, and thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favourited and alerted. I really, really appreciate it! I hope you like this chapter! **

**Disclaimer; I don't own Kingdom Hearts. I only wish I did. XD**

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The brunette felt himself being shaken. He groaned, his blue eyes fluttering open. "Hmmmm…" he mumbled.

"Sweety, you need to get up. Come on, get your clothes on and then come and have some breakfast before you head out for school," the boy's mom said. Sora mumbled something again before he sat himself up.

"I wish it was still the weekend," Sora said. His mother placed her hands on her hips, "Well it's not. So lets go! Get ready! It's Roxas's first day back in a while and I told him that you'd be there for him today."

Sora sighed, "Okay, mom."

She then added, "Oh, and your friend called. He said that he was gonna come and pick you up today." She frowned, "I still don't like the idea of you riding on that vehicle with him…"

Sora rolled his blue eyes, "Sheesh, mom. You worry too much._ It__'__s __only_ a motorcycle."

"Sora! Those things are dangerous."

The boy ignored her though, getting fed up with the same conversation every morning. Instead he attended to his clothes. "Can you get out, mother? I'm gonna get changed now."

She nodded, "Of course, dear. I'll see you downstairs."

After Sora was finished getting into his school uniform, which was a pair of navy pants and a white, sleeved dress shirt, he headed downstairs and ate his breakfast.

"See ya, mom!" Sora called from the doorway. He then went outside, closing the door behind him. It wasn't long until his ride showed up either. A boy around his age pulled up into the driveway. He was a very handsome young man with long silver hair and beautiful aquatic eyes.

"Come on, Sora. Or do you wanna be late?"

Sora smiled, approaching the bike, "I'm coming, Riku." The brunette then climbed onto the motorbike, sitting behind Riku. As the two drove off, Sora's mom looked out of the window. "I hate bikes," she muttered.

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Roxas jumped as the school bell rang. He was already in his first class of the day. His classes were:

Period one with chemistry.

Period two with P.E.

Period three with English.

And period four with Geography.

Each class was seventy minutes long, but after period two there was an hour long lunch break.

Roxas looked around the room timidly. It surprised him when Yuffie suddenly flopped down onto the chair next to him. "Whoa!"

"Roxas!" she cried out cheerfully, "Did you like the bear!? Did you like it!?"

Roxas cocked an eyebrow at her, "What be-" The teddy that Axel had brought him suddenly came to his mind. "You mean the one Axel got me? How'd you know?"

"Axel brought it from my shop," Yuffie said. She then repeated, "Well, did you like it?"

"Yeah. I really liked it."

Yuffie stood up from the desk, grinning. "That's great!" she chirped, sitting back down into her own seat.

Just then Roxas caught a glimpse of Hayner, a boy with crazy, blonde hair and chestnut coloured eyes. He sat on the other side of the room. Roxas furrowed his eyebrows at him. Hayner looked away shamefully. But Roxas never noticed the guilt in his eyes. All he could think about was the fact that the bastard was in all of his classes. It was awful. All that the sight of Hayner gave him was pain. A lot of pain.

But at least Namine was in his class. She sat a few seats away from him, closer to the front. He didn't have time to socialize with her though. Their teacher, Mr.

Xemnas had just entered the room.

Roxas laid back in his seat. He could always get comfortable in this class. Mr. Xemnas had a tendency to talk a lot. "Today we are going to discuss the heart," he began. Roxas sighed. Mr. Xemnas had a fascination with biology, even though this was supposed to be a chemistry class. He especially liked to talk about the heart.

Roxas yawned, listening to the rest of Mr. Xemnas's long rant.

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Roxas quivered, hugging his body. It was period two with Physical Education. At the moment, the grade eleven male's fitness class was standing outside, awaiting for the mile run to start.

It was a cold morning. A damp chill seemed to hang in the air. And with the gym uniforms, which were navy shorts and a white t-shirt, Roxas couldn't help but feel frozen. He was beginning to believe that Mr. Hercules, the P.E. teacher, was a crazy nut-case! Even Sora and Riku, who were in the class, agreed.

Mr. Hercules took out a timer and then suddenly yelled, "Go!" The young boys began to run down the side walk, some passing others quickly. Sora and Riku jogged side-by-side, as Roxas just jogged on his own.

Sora looked at Riku through the corner of his eye. "I bet I can get a better time then you, Riku," he said.

Riku couldn't stop the arrogant smile that crept onto his face, "Lets see if you can keep that promise."

Roxas sighed. The two would always get like this. At least they acted this way in P.E. Roxas didn't really care, but he _did_ whenever Sora would drag him into their little competition. Whenever Sora lost to Riku, which was most of the time, Sora would start comparing his scores with the blonde. Roxas didn't really like it.

It took several minutes for the three to run the whole mile. Riku, who was the first one back, immediately grabbed his water bottle and began to drink it eagerly considering he was parched. Sora approached him, frowning. He knew Riku had beat him, but he still wanted to know his time. The brunette avoided eye contact, "So, Riku… what was your time?"

"Six minutes and four seconds," Riku responded proudly.

"Dammit," Sora muttered, "I got six minutes and twenty six seconds."

Flustered, Sora turned on Roxas. "How about you, Roxy? What'd you get?"

"Lose against Riku again?" Roxas chuckled.

Sora immediately began to go red. "That wasn't the question!" the flushed boy cried.

"Alright. Alright… seven minutes and two seconds," the blonde panted.

Sora grinned, sticking his tongue out, "Haha, I beat you!"

Roxas rolled his eyes, "Do I care?"

"You should! It shows that older brothers are stronger!"

Riku cocked an eyebrow, "Sora… You're not _that_ much older. You guys are twins, so you are only a few minutes or something a part, right?"

"Shut up, Riku! What do you know? I'm still older."

Riku laughed and playfully said, "Well, for being the older brother, you sure don't seem like the smarter one."

Sora pouted, "You're a meanie, Riku. See Roxas; see how awful my friends are to me?" Roxas couldn't help but smile. His "older" brother seemed so childish at times. It amused him.

"Okay, guys! It's time to go and lift some weights!" Mr. Hercules suddenly said loudly. The class nodded, heading back inside the school and into the gym, soon heading up towards the weight room from there.

Mr. Hercules picked up a large dumbell from a rack on the side of the room. He began to perform bicep curls with them. "Class," he said, "I want you all to do twenty push ups and twenty crunches before you start using the equipment."

"Yes, ," the class droned.

Roxas stood back up after doing his push ups and sit ups. But he soon ended up hitting the floor again as Sora leaped at him, knocking the blonde to the floor as the brunette himself lay hands and knees on Roxas's back. "Owwww, Sora!" Roxas whined.

"_Owwww, Sora,_" Sora mimicked. He then wrapped his arms around Roxas's chest, clinging onto him as he got up. "Wanna be my partner, Roxy?"

Riku formed an offended expression, "Hey! What about me?"

"You're mean," Sora stated simply.

Roxas shrugged Sora off, waving his hand, "I'll just see you later. You two _"__love birds__"_can be partners."

Riku's jaw dropped, "Love birds…?"

"Just ignore my brother… he's messed."

After a few minutes, everyone in the class found themselves a partner. Roxas sighed. He never got to choose a partner though. He was always put with whoever was left. And Roxas didn't like who was left today.

It was Hayner.

Hayner avoided eye contact, approaching Roxas. "So… I guess we're partners," he said in a quiet voice. It was so unlike Hayner.

Roxas shook his head up and down slowly, "Yeah." Without saying another word, Roxas began to head towards a piece of equipment which wasn't occupied. This was the flat bench press. For this, you laid down on your back and then lifted up a bar from your chest and up into the air and back down again. Mr. Hercules expected them to at least do eight to twelve reps.

"Wanna go first?" Hayner asked.

Roxas got into the proper form, muttering, "Whatever."

Hayner ignored it though and did his job as a spotter: Making sure that Roxas didn't drop the bar and hurt himself. As Hayner put his hands to levitate just under the bar (so if Roxas did drop it, then Hayner would catch it) he noticed the look in the blonde's blue eyes sharpen. "I don't need you to spot me," Roxas said coldly.

Hayner hesitated, but then said, "Fine."

Hayner seemed so pathetic now. Not like his old self. Now he'd always do as Roxas said. He'd never argue.

Fitness class went very slowly for Hayner that day. The whole work out, Roxas practically didn't say a word. It seemed like some sort of silent treatment. And whenever Roxas did speak, it came out as cold as ice. His voice made Hayner feel as if the blood in his very veins had suddenly run cold.

It wasn't a nice feeling.

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Roxas cursed as he tripped, crumbling to the floor and dropping his food tray. Various foods came tumbling onto the ground beside him as the milk jug broke open, pouring its contents onto the cafeteria floor. Seifer laughed.

Seifer: A boy in the same grade as Roxas. He was a tough kid who enjoyed bullying others who got on his nerves. Roxas was one of his biggest bothers, unfortunately. Even though Roxas was quiet and modest, Seifer couldn't help but dislike him.

Seifer loomed over the blonde, cackling, "Watch where you're going, Roxas." But Seifer soon left the cafeteria after he noticed that Sora and Riku were approaching. They'd witnessed the whole "accident."

"You alright, Roxas?" Riku asked, giving the boy a hand and pulling him up. Roxas nodded as Sora tended to the blonde's spilt food.

"We can share my lunch," Sora offered, standing up after tidying up the mess.

The threesome then found a table and sat themselves down. Sora sat beside Roxas as Riku sat across from them. The brunette passed Roxas a bunch of french fries and then split his pizza slice in half, "Here, Roxy."

"Thanks."

The two boys began to eat their "half" lunch hungrily. PE left them famished. Such a physical class would have your breakfast calories burned in no time. Same with lunch. They'd both be hungry again in an hour if not less.

After Sora finished swallowing one of his salty fries, he turned his head to look at his brother. "Hey, Roxas, "he began. The blonde now looked at Sora, their matching blue eyes looking back at each other. "Hmmm? What?"

"That Seifer jerk… How often does he bug you?"

Roxas looked curiously at him, continuing to gulf down the greasy cafeteria food. It may not have been top quality, but any food was good if you were starving. "He enjoys tormenting people. So he bugs me often… I swear, that kid's a sociopath…" Roxas replied.

Sora frowned worriedly, "Then you should tell someone about it."

"Na, I'm fine. I just ignore him."

Riku suddenly butted into the conversation, "It must be hard to ignore such a loud mouth." Roxas simply shrugged. He wasn't in the mood to discuss such things. Therefore he stood up.

"I'm gonna go to my locker now. Thanks for the food, Sora. See ya," Roxas said, heading towards the doors which would take him out of the noisy room.

"See ya after school, Roxy! Have fun in English and Geography!" Sora called back.

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Roxas looked up at the eerie sky with bright, blue eyes. The clouds that rolled by were grey. It was probably going to rain. Maybe even snow.

It was the end of the day and Roxas stood outside at the front of the school. He was waiting for Sora. Sora and his mother lived further away from the school while Roxas was in walking distance. The blonde always liked to say bye to Sora before they headed home.

Sora leapt down the steps from the school, stopping in front of Roxas. Riku wasn't too far behind him. "See ya tomorrow, Roxy!" Sora said as he jumped at Roxas, taking him into a hug and most likely suffocating him. Riku held back a grin, pulling Sora off.

"Stop molesting your brother, Sora."

The brunette pouted, "It's called brotherly love, Riku. You make us sound bloody incest."

Riku shook his head, "Forget it."

Roxas chuckled, waving one last time to the two. He then turned around, walking towards the downtown area of their city. Roxas didn't live downtown, but he always headed to his job after school.

The blonde entered the Subway restaurant.

Roxas worked as the person who put the stuff on the sub. Therefore, he went behind the counter, putting on a Subway vizer. It was an employees necessary uniform.

"Hi, Roxas," one of the employees greeted cheerfully. It was Demyx. He was a happy sixteen year old kid with blonde hair. He worked beside Roxas, except instead of toppings, Demyx would get the bread. He was also in charge of toasting the bread if the customer asked for it. The third employee was Zexion. He worked at the cashier and also got the customers their drinks.

But whenever the business wasn't so busy, Zexion preferred to fetch out a book and read that instead. But it wasn't one of those slow days. It was actually quite busy. Many students were going to the restaurant for an after school snack.

Roxas attempted a smile as a young lady approached the counter. "What would you like on your sub, miss?" he asked.

She put a finger to her lip, "Ummm… I'll have turkey… lettuce. And swiss cheese."

With his plastic-gloved hands, Roxas arranged the girl's sub.

But the next customer wasn't exactly pleasant. Roxas shuddered after he noticed the boy enter the food joint. The customer approached and ordered his bread from Demyx. It probably wouldn't be as easy for Roxas.

"Can I take your order?" Roxas asked dully.

Seifer looked down at the toppings, pretending to be interested. "Hmmm… How about some ham?"

Roxas took a bit of ham and began to place it on the fresh Italian bread that Demyx had prepared. Suddenly Seifer said, "Oh, never mind! I'd rather have turkey."

Roxas huffed in annoyance, taking off the ham and replacing it with turkey.

"Actually… I don't want meat," Seifer whined again. Roxas shot his head up to look at Seifer. He would have glared, but he knew Seifer was only looking for a reaction.

"Anything else?" Roxas asked with a hint of intolerance in his voice.

The other boy smirked, "Yeah. How about you double that order? Oh no… wait. I'll just have the one sub. And could you hurry it up with the ham? I also want lettuce."

After Roxas arranged the sub and Seifer paid for it at Zexion's counter, he laughed as Roxas, saying, "This job suits you, _Roxy_."'Roxy' came out with a sneer. "I never thought such a smart student would have such a _smart_ job."

The blonde Subway employee was relieved after Seifer left. He couldn't wait until he just got home. This day was wearing him out. He glanced at the clock, thinking about how Axel was gonna come and pick him up in a few hours. It wouldn't be too stressful now. The sudden crowd had died down, and now the occasional customer only seemed to pop by.

Zexion liked this time of the day as well. Now he could read all he wanted. Demyx wasn't as independent though. He'd talk to Roxas.

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Axel's emerald green eyes landed on Roxas as soon as the redhead entered the shop. He grinned, "Hey, Roxy. Ready to head home?"

Roxas nodded, throwing off his Subway vizer. He then followed his older friend out of the shop.

"So, how was your day?" Axel asked.

Roxas shrugged, "It was alright. I'm pretty tired though. How about you?"

"Yeah, it was a long day."

Roxas furrowed his eyebrows, "Was Leon breathing down your back?"

Axel looked at the blonde boy with curious eyes while cocking an eyebrow, "And how would you know about my brother's demands?"

"I heard you guys talking once over the phone," Roxas admitted.

Axel bit his lip a little. He knew that Leon could get quite nasty. He didn't want Roxas to hear what that bastard had to say.

But that was too late.

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**Poor Roxas. I made Leon so mean. And I guess Seifer's already nasty, so... no comment on him. XD I hope you liked it! Please review! Your comments make me update! Oh, and Ven is finally going to be introduced next chapter!  
**


	5. Ventus

**Yay! Chapter five! Sorry readers... I didn't mean to take so long to update it. But I hope you like it anyways though! And thank you to reviewers, and readers who alerted and favourited my story. I truly appreciate it! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts**

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Roxas hugged the warm cup of coffee to his chest, sipping at it frequently. Today it wasn't Tim Hortons, but Star Bucks. He liked to have a variety of different caffeine-filled drinks. Axel, who sat beside Roxas at the wooden table, wasn't as much of a coffee addict, so he simply ate cereal for breakfast.

Roxas sighed, looking out of the window. The wind howled outside. It wasn't snowing, but it was deathly cold. Late November was rolling in, and the weather was becoming more frigid. Roxas didn't mind so much. He just didn't like having to walk to school in the cold. Axel on the other hand was miserable. He was hating the weather. There hadn't been one warm day since that time Roxas was hurt. Another thing that wasn't helping was Axel's job; It was stressing him out, which did not help with his temperament .

Roxas tilted his head to the side, "Are you sure you don't want anything else to eat? Axel looked into his blue eyes. Axel's own orbs didn't seem as bright as they normally did though. They gave off an irritated, sharp look. Roxas could've sworn that there was a glint in those eyes…

"No. I'm good," Axel replied.

"Sure?" Roxas continued. The blond knew Axel was a hothead, but he didn't expect him to suddenly stand up, slamming his hands against the table. Roxas looked up at him wide eyed.

"I said I'm fine!! Don't you have someplace to go?! Just go to school already!" Axel began to shout loudly. But he'd regret it later… The appalled look in Roxas's eyes would haunt him, but he continued to yell angrily anyways. It was a way to de-stress himself; Just let the anger and frustration pour out. "GO! GO TO SCHOOL!"

Roxas slowly stood up, slightly shocked. He'd never seen Axel this angry… not at him anyways.

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Roxas sat at the back of his Science class, messing with the 'X' shaped zipper that was on his black shirt. He kept replaying Axel's explosion in his head, wondering what could've gotten the redhead so angry. "It's probably me…" Roxas mumbled.

He was beginning to believe in what Leon had said… he was doubting himself. Namine was probably the first person to notice this.

The bell hadn't rung yet, therefore Namine approached Roxas's desk. "Why aren't you sitting in your usual desk Roxas? You look so depressed sitting back here," she said to him softy.

He looked up at her with hollow, expressionless eyes, "I just feel like being back here today. Don't worry about it."

She smiled weakly, giving off a sympathetic look, "Cheer up. Life always comes with obstacles, but when you get through them they're worth it."

Though Roxas didn't show it clearly, Namine could feel satisfaction from the boy. He wanted to thank her, but the words never escaped from his lips.

Suddenly, the bell rang and Namine went back to her seat. Soon after, Mr. Xemnas began his lesson. Roxas assumed that he was going to start off the class with some biology crap like he always did. But he didn't. The subject wasn't even on Science.

"We have a new student," Mr. Xemnas said. This news seemed to perk the class's interest. Everyone found it exciting to meet a new person. I guess such a feeling was caused by curiosity. "Come on in. Don't be shy," Mr. Xemnas called the new transfer student into the classroom.

As the new student entered the room, Roxas froze. He was in so much shock that he felt his skin crawl. The student was a replica of himself! He too had blond spiky hair and deep blue eyes… same face, same body type… The only difference was their clothing. The other classmates noticed the shocking resemblance as well. They stared at this new person hardly, and then they swivelled around in their seats to glance at Roxas. They began to whisper among one another, but the teacher quickly silenced them.

"Well, introduce yourself," Xemnas nudged him.

The boy nodded, saying in a clear voice, "My name is Ven. Hi!"

Roxas's eyes narrowed. Ven… where had he heard that name before?

"Now class, I hope you make Ven feel at home and introduce yourselves to him by the end of the period. It isn't easy coming to a new school," Xemnas then added, "You can choose whichever desk you'd like, Ven."

Ven scanned the room, analyzing all of the empty desks. Roxas froze again as the two doppelgangers locked eyes. He quickly averted his gaze, looking down into his lap. Ven smiled at the startled boy as he walked down the aisle, sitting down in an empty desk near the front.

Namine turned her head around and smiled softly at Roxas. She could tell that he was astonished. But Namine tried to give him a reassuring look.

Namine believed that Roxas was so melancholy because he thought everyone would replace him with Ven. Ven did seem more social… But that wasn't it at all. Roxas felt an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. The name 'Ven' seemed to torment his mind, as if he knew him from somewhere, but couldn't remember… nearly like trauma or dissociation.

For now, Roxas merely shrugged it off. Or at least he pretended not to care. But at the moment, he wasn't aware of the role that Ven played in his life.

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Roxas sighed as he walked into the boy's change room. Fitness class meant another day of being Hayner's partner.

Again, the class was up in the weight room, doing their programs. Like last day, Sora and Riku were partners. Roxas expected to be one of the leftovers again, but he was wrong. "Hey Roxas, wanna be my partner?"

The blond spun around, nearly jumping out of his skin. Ven stood before him, smiling cheerfully. "Whoa! Wha- You're in my gym class too?" Roxas said, astonished. But then he realized something… "Wait… How'd you know my name is Roxas?" he asked suspiciously.

Ven grinned at him sheepishly, "I don't know… Just a guess. You look like a Roxas to me."

The blond tilted his head to the side. Ven seemed peculiar.

Ven looked around at all the equipment. He looked a little confused, if not troubled. "What's this class like? I'm not completely sure considering I was put into this class. My old school didn't have a weight room; we only had normal gym with soccer and stuff."

Roxas nodded, showing Ven that he was listening, "What school are you from?"

"Hollow Heights High School."

"Really? I don't think I've heard of it," Roxas stated.

Ven shrugged, "Doesn't matter, does it?"

"No…" But Roxas was making a mental note of the high school name. He'd Google it later. For some odd reason he wanted to know as much as he could about Ven. He gave him a strange feeling, and he wanted to find out why.

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It was lunch and Roxas was eating in the cafeteria. Sora munched on his cheese sticks from across the table. He was sitting beside Riku. "So you're telling me that some new guy, who looks like you, knew your name?" Sora asked in between chews.

"Yeah. It's kinda weird…" Roxas paused as he took a cheese stick from Sora, "But it feels like I've met him before… I know his name from somewhere."

Sora looked up at the cafeteria ceiling, humming, "Maybe… you do know him. Is it possible that he may be a childhood friend or something?"

Roxas shook his head, "He never claimed he knew me. He just said that he was guessing about my name."

"I don't think that's a coincidence, do you? Your name isn't common. And even if it was, the chances of someone guessing your name right off the bat… well, it's nearly impossible," Riku stated. Sora nodded in agreement.

"Just leave it for now Roxy. Don't stress yourself over it. If this person does any other strange things just let me know," Sora said almost worriedly. The blond nodded. His brother was right. He didn't need to worry about Ven at the moment. The conflict with Axel alone made him feel a nauseated, anxious sensation in his stomach.

Roxas heavily sighed to himself.

Ever since his introduction to Ven, the boy's strangeness was all that poked at Roxas's mind. But now he was reminded of Axel again. The blond told himself that Axel was only in a bad mood. Either way though, Roxas had this little voice in his head that told him everything was his fault. He was the roots of Axel's stress.

"You okay?" Riku asked after Roxas seized to speak.

He nibbled on the cheese stick that he took from Sora's food tray. "I'm fine. Just thinking."

"Not about Ven I hope. I thought that I-" Sora began, but then Roxas cut him off.

"It's Axel."

"What about him? What happened?" Sora asked curiously.

The troubled blond hesitated, but then said in a quiet voice, "He's frustrated… He got angry with me. I think I should just move back in with you and mom, Sora. I'm only bothering him."

"I'm sure that's not true… He's probably just stressed with his job. Didn't you tell me that in order for him to take the holidays off, he'll need to work twice as hard?"

Roxas slowly shook his head up and down, "Maybe…"

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It was the end of the day. Roxas shivered as he left the school and walked outside to only be greeted by flurries. A frosty feeling hung in the air, causing the student's breathes to appear visible. They seemed to be exhaling a hazy vapour. The snow fell down softly, landing in the blond boy's hair.

"I'm gonna make a snowman! I'm gonna make a snowman!" Roxas could hear Sora sing as he bounced down the steps giddily. "Hey, Roxy! Isn't it awesome! It's snowing!" Sora jumped up and down with a cheerful grin on his face. Roxas couldn't help but smile at his brother's playfulness. The brunette could be so hyper and naïve at times, while during other times, he was pretty serious; like when he was visiting Roxas at the hospital.

"Hey, Sora!" Riku called as he approached the two brothers.

"Riku!" Sora waved at him.

"Sora, my mom wants me to go downtown for her and buy some stuff. Did you wanna come? If not, don't worry, I'll drop you off first," Riku explained.

"Sure I'll go with you, Riku."

The silver-haired boy turned his gaze to look at Roxas. "You wanna come, Roxas?" Riku asked.

Roxas's eyes widened in surprise, "Really? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Come on, Roxas! Come!" Sora pleaded.

Roxas nodded, "Sure. I don't have work today. Only every other day. So why not?" He then suddenly shuddered, adding, "Wait… I should call Axel first. I don't want him to worry."

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Roxas entered the school's foyer. Payphones and vending machines lined the walls of the vast room. He deposited money into the phone, quickly dialling in Axel's cell number.

"Hello?" came Axel's voice from the other end of the phone.

"Hey, Axel," Roxas said in a low, whispery voice.

"Roxas?" was Axel's astonished reply.

"Yeah… I just wanted to let you know that I'm gonna be late coming home today," Roxas said.

"Thanks for phoning and letting me know… I would've gotten worried," the redhead paused, "Roxas?"

"Hm?"

Axel took a deep breath, "I'm sorry… you know, about this morning…"

Roxas gasped silently to himself. A warm smile crept onto his lips as he blushed slightly. "Oh, don't worry about it. It's fine," Roxas said timidly.

"No it's not okay! Roxas, I shouldn't have treated you that way…" Axel's tone came out as a whine.

"Really Axel… it's cool."

There was a long pause between them. Breaking the silence, Axel said, "Alright… we'll talk some more tonight when you get home."

"Yeah. Okay."

The boy then gently placed the phone back onto it's receiver, continuing to smile lightly to himself.

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Riku grabbed at several foods that were on the variety store shelves. He had a few loaves of bread, some fish, a fresh bag of carrots, and then he picked up four chocolate bars afterwards.

"Do you have everything?" Sora chirped.

The silver-haired boy nodded, flashing a smile at the brunette.

Roxas approached the area at the side of the variety store, opening a freezer and fetching out a carton of milk. "Are you out or something?" Sora asked him. The blond smiled as he and Riku paid for their products at the cash.

"I need some more for my coffee," he said.

Sora rolled his eyes playfully, "You're still addicted to coffee? Jeez, didn't I tell you that coffee can totally stain your teeth?"

"And didn't I tell you that there are a bunch of toothpastes out there for people like me?" Roxas paused, "Besides, everything has it's pros and cons. Coffee can help prevent cancer."

"You actually believe that?"

Riku couldn't help but laugh as the three left the variety store. To him, the two brothers could be a good source of entertainment. "You guys are so silly," Riku began to venture through the plastic bag that he carried, fetching out two of the four chocolate bars that he'd bought. "Here you go, Sora. Roxas," he tossed them a chocolate bar each.

"Thanks," the twins said in unison. Riku nodded, appreciating the fact that they were grateful. It made him feel good… not that that was what it was all about…

Sora peeled the foil-like wrapper away from the chocolate, while Roxas stored his treat within his own bag, where his milk carton resided. He would share that with Axel when he got back home.

"Any suggestions on what to do now?" Riku asked. Roxas shrugged as Sora only paid attention to his chocolate. He munched on it happily.

"Maybe we should just head back to the school. Your motorbike is in the school parking lot, right?" Roxas mentioned.

"Yeah, why don't we do that."

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Roxas entered his apartment, immediately kicking off his shoes and taking off his coat. He then wandered into the kitchen, placing the milk that he had bought in the fridge.

"Roxas?" Axel's head peeked into the kitchen.

"Oh, hey," Roxas said softly. The blond suddenly felt anxious. He was speaking with Axel in person now. He wasn't upset or mad. But it just seemed different from talking on the phone.

"You okay, Roxy?" Axel suddenly asked, approaching him.

"I'm fine. It's just been a long day," the blond replied tiredly.

Axel nodded, "It was…"

Before the younger boy could say another word, Axel wrapped his arms around him, taking him into a tight embrace. Roxas, a little startled at first, soon relaxed, digging his face into Axel's chest while closing his blue eyes. "I truly am sorry, Roxas. I swear, I never meant to yell at you," he whispered. Roxas withdrew enough so that he could look into Axel's face.

He smiled, "It's okay. Let's not talk about that…"

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On his way to school the next day, Roxas stopped by the public library. He wanted to go on the computer. He went onto the Google search engine.

"Ven… what's with that guy?" Roxas said to himself quietly. The blond then muttered, ' _Hollow Heights High School__'_as he typed it onto Google. Once he entered his search and received the results, he gasped.

It was blank…

There was no data! So he rushed onto an official school website, typing in yet again '_Hollow Heights High School._' And again, there wasn't a match… This school didn't exist.

Roxas's eyes widened. Ven wasn't who he seemed to be… Then who was he?

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**Dum, dum, dum... And so I leave you with that. Who do you think Ven is? It doesn't seem very good so far considering some gangster knew him in chapter one. XD But you'll have to read and find out. And I'll try and update sooner. But that mostly depends on you guys. I'm inspired to update quicker when I get reviews. :) **

**So please review!**

**Oh, and please forgive spelling mistakes. I'm a lazy spellchecker.  
**


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